A team is only as good as its goalkeeper, making it a pivotal role in football. When building your team in EA FC 26 Career Mode, investing in your GK is always a good idea. But with limited funds, you need the best bang for your buck. That’s where today’s piece comes in.
Rather than scouting the entire database, we’ll provide you with the best GKs on a budget. They won’t be top-tier like Buffon, but you can get them high enough with some proper training. All of them require low initial investment and have high growth potential, so let’s dive straight in.
Best Cheap Goalkeepers In EA FC 26 Career Mode
Senne Lammens
- Price: $30M
- Release Clause: None
We start with 22-year-old Senne Lammens, who currently plays for Manchester United in the Premier League. Lammens has an initial OVR of 78, but the reason he’s so good lies behind his growth potential. He has a +7 growth potential, which means with some training, you could have an 87 OVR GK in just $30M. This makes him a great investment early on and one of the cheapest GKs you’ll find on the market.
Lammens is right-footed but has 4 stars in Weak Foot. His Skill Moves are at 1 star, but GKs seldom require fancy footwork. For GKs, the stats to look at are their Diving, Handling, Kicking, Reflexes, and Positioning. For Lammens, all of these range from 77-79, except GK Kicking, which is pretty good for a player at 78 OVR. Grow him to his max potential, and you won’t regret investing in him.
Anatoliy Trubin
- Price: $39M
- Release Clause: $64.9M
Anatoliy Trubin is our second pick for cheap, but reliable, GKs. Trubin currently plays for Benfica and has an 80 initial OVR. However, similar to Lammens, his potential OVR is also at 87, making him a top pick early on. Trubin is only 23 years old and has already made a name for himself in the football community, due to which his release clause is set at $64.9M.
Trubin has 1 star in Skill Moves and 2 stars in Weak Foot. He’s 6’6”, right-footed, and has a contract until 2028 with Benfica. As for his stat spread, it’s fairly better than Lammens with 84 in Reflexes and an 83 in Positioning. Diving, Kicking, and Handling are all around 76-77. Trubin’s initial 80 OVR also allows him to be useful at the start, rather than having to wait for him to grow.
Maarten Vandevoordt
- Price: $15.5M
- Release Clause: None
$30-40M are great prices for cheap GKs, but $15.5M is much better. Maarten Vandevoordt, the 23-year-old GK for RB Leipzig, is priced at just $15.5M and comes without a release clause. His original OVR is 76, which is pretty low, but with a +10 growth potential, he’s a great player to sign on if you can afford to invest in him a bit. Vandevoordt is right-footed, has 1 star in Skill Moves and 3 stars in Weak Foot.
The downside of going with this player is the initial OVR. At 76, he’s not going to be extremely useful to the team early on. But at max OVR, nothing’s getting past him. His stats range in the mid-70s, most around 75, except for Diving at 78. This GK might not be the best pick for everyone, but if he fits your playstyles, we’d definitely recommend looking into him.
Guillaume Restes
- Price: $29M
- Release Clause: None
One of the youngest GKs on the market is Guillaume Restes. Restes plays for Toulouse FC and is only 20 years old. He prefers his left foot, has 1 star in Skill Moves, and 3 stars in Weak Foot. Restes can go up to 86 OVR over time, given he receives proper training and coaching. He also has one of the longest contracts we’ve seen, from 2021-2028, but without a release clause, that doesn’t matter much.
His stat spread is pretty good as well. 80 in both Kicking and Reflexes, 78 Diving, and 77 Positioning. The only stat slightly below average would be Handling at 74. Of course, these stats will increase as he grows, but they’re solid stats for the early game as well, given you don’t go up against A-tier teams.
Matthieu Epolo
- Price: $7M
- Release Clause: None
Matthieu Epolo is the next GK on our list, and we have to say, it’ll be hard to find a good GK at a cheaper price than this. Epolo’s price on the market is extremely low. Valued at just $7M, you can easily snag him early on. He’s a great pick up for his price. His initial OVR is 73, not the best we agree, but his potential OVR is 85, a +12 growth increase.
Epolo is right-footed with 1 star in Skill Moves and 2 stars in Weak Foot. One of the reasons for his low price is probably his stats. Without any training, his stats are in the high 60s-low 70s range, except for Diving at 76. These might be a liability early on, so make sure your defense can make up for his shortcomings; otherwise, things might get dicey.
Luiz Júnior
- Price: $22M
- Release Clause: None
Our next GK is from Villarreal FC, Luiz Júnior. Júnior is 24 years old, 6’4”, and right-footed. His initial OVR is 77, with a +8 growth potential to 85. He is priced slightly higher compared to other GKs with similar max potential OVRs, but the difference is the initial OVR. A lot of players prefer stable OVRs in the early game as well as the late game, making Júnior an ideal pick.
Júnior has 1 star in Skill Moves and 3 stars in Weak Foot. Except for Kicking at 71, all his stats are at a steady 77. Júnior is definitely a worthwhile pickup since you won’t struggle as much in the beginning stages as you would with someone who has a low initial OVR. You also don’t need to invest as much time and coaching since he only grows 8 points. When looking for GKs, make sure to keep him on your list.
Dennis Seimen
- Price: $2.1M
- Release Clause: None
Up next, we have Dennis Seimen. Seimen currently plays for SC Paderborn 07 on loan from VfB Stuttgart. Seimen is valued at $2.1M, making him extremely affordable in the early game. The only problem is his initial OVR. At 66 OVR, he’s not very popular in the market. However, what people fail to see is his potential growth. Seimen’s highest potential is at 84 OVR, which would make him a great pick for just $2.1M.
He’s left-footed, has 1 star in Skill Moves and 4 stars in Weak Foot. As you’d expect, his stat spread is below average. All his stats are in the mid-60s, except for Reflexes at 69. Once you enter the 60-OVR range, you need to be careful with your investment. While Seimen is an amazing player, considering his price, it might be difficult to make things work initially. Although if you put some time into him, he’ll prove his worth.
Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro
- Price: $4.3M
- Release Clause: None
From the club AZ, we have Rome-Jayden Owusu-Oduro. The 20-year-old GK sits at an 71 initial OVR, but can grow up to 84 OVR. He’s right-footed with 1 star in Skill Move and 3 stars in Weak Foot. He’s currently valued at $4.3M in EA FC 26 Career Mode, making him a good initial investment when starting.
Owusu-Oduro’s stat spread is average, with most stats ranging around the 70 mark. His Reflexes sit at 73, which is a plus point. He’s very close to the sub-70 OVR range, which we usually don’t recommend, but considering he’s at 71 OVR, you can still test him out. It might seem like a gamble at first, but we’re sure it will pay off in the future.
Mike Penders
- Price: $6M
- Release Clause: None
We’re nearing the end of our list for the best budget GKs, and Mike Penders has managed to snag a spot. Penders is a 19-year-old GK playing for RC Strasbourg on loan from Chelsea. He has an initial OVR of 73 with +11 growth points, meaning a max potential OVR of 84. He’s 6’7”, making him one of the tallest GKs on the list at just 19 years of age.
Penders is left-footed and has 1 star in Skill Moves and 2 stars in Weak Foot. Since his initial OVR is 73, his stat spread is better than some of the previous entries. Except for Handling at 72 and Positioning at 69, his GK stats are all in the high 70s, ranging from 75-77. Penders is a smart choice for a budget GK. A low initial investment with good growth potential is exactly what we’re looking for.
Lucca Brughmans
- Price: $700k
- Release Clause: None
Our final entry is Lucca Brughmans, a 17-year-old GK currently playing for Genk. Brughmans wouldn’t be anyone’s first choice, but that also justifies his market value. He sits at a 59 OVR initially, an OVR that most people cannot realistically work with. However, his potential growth is 82 OVR, which is the trade-off. Either take the risk of running him initially at 59 OVR for an extremely reduced cost, or increase your budget.
Brughmans is right-footed and has a 1-star in Skills Moves and 3 stars in Weak Foot. All his stats are in the high 50s, low-60s range. Now the question is whether or not to invest in him. If you’ve got a solid defense, and GK is your last priority, Brughmans is a good choice. If you’re getting an 82 OVR GK at $700k, that’s a deal you cannot miss out on. It will take a lot of effort, but it will pay off in the future.
